His Addiction - Chapter 33

Xu Zhi’s words stunned both Liang Jinmo and Liang Mushi.

For Liang Jinmo, the term of address was new. And it was the first time Xu Zhi had addressed him directly in front of Liang Mushi, without hesitation.

For Liang Mushi, it was a thunderclap. He felt like he had been struck by lightning.

Xu Zhi had actually called Liang Jinmo “Jinmo Gege.” ( Gege is a term of endearment for older brother.)

Were Xu Zhi and Liang Jinmo that close? Close enough to call him gege? He had barely seen them speak to each other!

And Liang Jinmo was his enemy. What was Xu Zhi doing?

While Liang Mushi was still reeling from the shock, Xu Zhi walked towards Liang Jinmo.

Reaching him, she looked up at him. “Let’s go.”

Liang Jinmo immediately noticed her swollen eyes.

He didn’t ask anything, simply turned and walked with her towards the exit of the complex.

Liang Mushi watched their retreating figures.

As they disappeared from view, realization dawned on him. He ran after them.

But as soon as he reached the south gate, a car sped past.

He didn’t recognize Liang Jinmo’s car, but he saw Liang Jinmo in the driver’s seat and Xu Zhi in the passenger seat.

Xu Zhi had actually left with Liang Jinmo.

He felt a rush of bl00d to his head, a mixture of anger and confusion. Had Xu Zhi gone crazy?

Meanwhile, sitting in Liang Jinmo’s car, Xu Zhi felt a sense of triumph.

Young Master Liang had probably never been so publicly dismissed before. She could imagine his fury.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw Liang Mushi’s name on the screen.

She quickly silenced it.

Liang Jinmo asked, “Liang Mushi?”

“Mm-hmm.” Xu Zhi put her phone back in her bag.

Liang Jinmo guessed that her tears had something to do with Liang Mushi.

But he didn’t ask. Instead, he changed the subject. “Anywhere you want to go?”

Xu Zhi lowered her head, her chin tucked in. She looked haggard, her eyes swollen. She couldn’t think of anywhere she wanted to go.

But she didn’t want to go home either. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Can we go to your place?”

This was Xu Zhi’s third time at Liang Jinmo’s apartment.

As they entered, Liang Jinmo asked if she wanted anything to eat.

It was past 3 p.m., and Xu Zhi hadn’t eaten anything all day, but she still shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

She sat down on the sofa and checked her phone. Liang Mushi had called her over ten times and had also sent a barrage of WeChat messages.

The air conditioning was on. Liang Jinmo took off his coat and glanced at her. “Aren’t you hot?”

It was indeed hot. Xu Zhi took off her jacket and hesitantly removed her hat, but she kept her mask on.

Liang Jinmo poured her a glass of water, placing it on the coffee table. He didn’t rush her to take off her mask.

His phone rang. He picked it up and answered.

Xu Zhi overheard what sounded like a work-related conversation.

It seemed to be a tricky issue. She saw him frown, his expression serious, his voice stern. “If it’s been fixed, it needs to be retested. I remember reminding you. If there are problems after the product launch, who do you think will take responsibility? If one tester can’t handle it, get two. If two aren’t enough, get three. If necessary, do it yourself. This project is important. I want to see the final test report. Whoever signs it will be responsible.”

Liang Jinmo hung up and looked at Xu Zhi.

She shrank back slightly, looking a little nervous. “You seem busy.”

“A little,” he explained. “We have a new program launching soon.”

“Oh, then you go ahead,” she quickly said. “I won’t disturb you. I’ll just stay here for a bit and go home tonight.”

She wanted to escape her home environment and find a place where Liang Mushi couldn’t find her. This was the perfect place, and she felt safe here.

He asked her, “Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”

Xu Zhi blinked, puzzled. “I’m not a child. Why wouldn’t I be okay alone?”

Liang Jinmo turned and walked towards his study. “Then I’ll get back to work. Call me if you need anything.”

He went inside but didn’t close the door. Xu Zhi could hear the sound of his typing.

It was too hot. With Liang Jinmo gone, she sat for a while, then took off her mask, finally able to breathe freely.

After a while, as she was getting bored, someone knocked on the door.

It was the hotel staff, delivering something Liang Jinmo had ordered. Besides coffee and milk tea, there were also snacks and desserts.

She hadn’t noticed when he had ordered them. She carried the tray over and knocked softly on the study door.

Liang Jinmo looked up at her. He was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Xu Zhi was momentarily stunned.

Even women were visual creatures, susceptible to the allure of unexpected beauty. With his glasses, Liang Jinmo exuded an even stronger aura of abstinence, like a distant, unattainable flower.

Xu Zhi was startled by her own mental imagery. She collected herself and said, “The staff brought some refreshments. Shall I bring them in?”

Liang Jinmo took off his glasses, rubbing his temples. “Those are for you, except for the iced Americano.”

Xu Zhi brought the tray in anyway. She placed the iced Americano on his desk, then hesitated, looking at the small cakes and macarons.

From the Xu Ji soup dumplings last time to the blueberry cake and macarons now, she realized Liang Jinmo always ordered things she liked.

Seeing her hesitation, Liang Jinmo asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Xu Zhi noticed a small coffee table on one side of the study. She placed the tray there. “I can’t eat all of this by myself. Let’s share.”

“I don’t eat sweets.” He leaned back in his chair, gesturing towards the sofa behind the coffee table. “Have a seat.”

Xu Zhi obediently sat down on the sofa.

Liang Jinmo stared at her, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Xu Zhi noticed. “What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing.”

“I saw it!”

Liang Jinmo said, “You said your eyes were swollen and you looked awful. Now I believe you.”

“Ah,” Xu Zhi realized what he meant and covered her face with her hands. “Don’t look!”

He lowered his head, his fist covering his mouth.

Seeing her spirits lift, he felt relieved. He asked, “Want to talk?”

Xu Zhi, still covering her face, mumbled, “Talk about what?”

“Why were you crying?”

She peeked at him through her fingers. “Are you curious about me?”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk,” he said. “I’m not particularly interested in your and Liang Mushi’s affairs.”

Xu Zhi thought he was always unpredictable.

“However…” he paused. “What the hell is ‘Jinmo Gege’?”

Xu Zhi’s face flushed. “I… I didn’t know what to call you.”

The only time she had called his name, his full name, was when she had rescued him from the lake. She hadn’t addressed him directly otherwise.

“Then call me that from now on,” he accepted the term of address.

Xu Zhi didn’t object. After all, he was three years older than her, and it was polite to address him as gege. She asked, “Are you not busy anymore?”

He hummed in agreement, then said, “Yang Xue has confirmed that she’s joining my team with Cheng Yu. What about you?”

The question caught Xu Zhi off guard.